To Bear Your Burden
by tea-of-momo
Summary: "As a result, Neji still bears the mark of those born into the side-branch and after discussing this with the elders for some time we have agreed that to preserve the nature of the clan until and if traditions are changed, Tenten must too bear the same mark."
1. Chapter 1

_This fanfic was inspired by mrm6464 (MikeyMack) on Twitter and Tumblr who gave me the idea to write this. Thank you for allowing me to do so._

He didn't think that he would end up waking next to her.

He never thought he would get the chance to share in this silence as she lay, still asleep and far from this world.

It felt almost wrong, like it shouldn't belong, a taboo that was discerned from the oppositions and arguments of his family who were against any kind of freedom permitted to him, something that could be as simple as breathing in air to live.

But it wasn't.

Nothing in life was simple.

Freedom was not given when asked, it was surrendered when demanded.

And he had finally won.

The pride he felt was absorbed into his skin, traveling in his bloodstream the more he thought about what he accomplished that seldom few had.

But at what cost did this freedom come?

What was being hidden from him?

What consequences awaited him?

Awaited them?

He had woken up before her, seeing the face he longed to see beside him, one he thought he would never see in the lingering and fidgeting dream of death. It made him only weary to see such a beautiful expression as she remained sound in her slumber, knowing that if fate hadn't been so kind, the face he now saw before him would not exist in the afterlife and they would no longer be together.

The warmth was something new to him. He was used to the feeling of being guarded by his heat, the feeling of selfishness that came with going to sleep and waking up alone. There was nothing he minded because there was nothing to mind when he was alone. Now, the only circumstance he minded was when he was unable to feel her stir in his arms, unable to linger in the smell of her splayed out hair as it lay against the pillow, and feel her soft breaths fogging up the glass of his heart.

It had been made of crystallized ice before he met her.

And now she was melting its surface, making him experience the wholesomeness that was meant to be felt when life was being seen as something great, as something worth basking in, both in conscious wake and unconscious slumber.

The first memory he saw playing in his mind happened only a mere few days ago, an event he doubted he would ever live to see and one that was based on his own choice and desire.

The silken fabric of her embroidered cream and eager emerald on her gown, the lightness that covered her pinkening cheeks as her glimmering earthen eyes with the kindest of brown gazed up at him, and the softness of her hand as he held it in his own.

It had happened so quickly and before he could understand it, he was kissing her for what felt like the first time once the ceremony was over and in a sense, it was the first time.

The first time he could say that he kissed his wife.

This memory was one he wanted to last forever, to feel as real as it had on the day it happened.

It seemed as if he could recall everything about that day.

The powdered cold that sprinkled the paths made of engraved dirt and the narrow-shaped rooftops remained clear in his mind even as he had stared out the fogginess that glazed over the windows. And-despite the snowflakes that shed from the billowing clouds and rained upon them-he couldn't feel anything else but her warmth as she held on to his hand, as they entered into their future together as willingly as they could, knowing that no matter what came for them or what wanted to tear them apart, they would fight with their fleeting breaths until all could be made whole again.

He had never felt stronger than when she was standing beside him.

He never thought he would be able to do what he did if she was not sitting in the seat next to him as he faced the autonomous elders and clansmen, still heavily stuck in their outdated traditions upon hearing his reasoning for finding his happiness, a source that could only exist if he finally claimed her as his own.

Claimed.

He hated that word with a passionate rain of anger and denial, a flame that would flicker upon the wick hidden within him would ignite until she was able to blow it out, allowing the vibrant smoke to drain until the air was once again clear and he could breathe again.

It was because to be claimed was something he was used to. It was for the sake of his identity already predetermined by the fate he didn't choose as his father was born the slave with his uncle being born the master. The hatred and resentment he felt matched nothing else as he grew up, seeing the world only through the vision they forced upon him after the death of his father, an event he didn't understand until he had been confronted by his uncle.

Still, nothing else had mattered. He was empty and despite the happiness he occasionally felt being surrounded by his friends, he remained hallow without the desire to love or to be loved.

But she had forced her way inside just by saying the words he was too ashamed to say and by breaking past his barrier of duty and abusive loyalty to the family he was born into.

She was one of the few people he would go through hell for and promised to protect from anything or anyone that attempted to lay a spiteful hand upon her.

He promised.

Nothing would or could ever break that promise, not even if death suddenly took him away from feeling her bare skin as she lay against him and from the sound of her laughter as she teased him.

And no matter what it took for them to get to this point and no matter how relentless he became in achieving the freedom he never thought he could gain, the only thing he wanted was to live in this moment, this present time of waking up beside her and seeing her face as she lay so vulnerable to the consciousness he wanted to experience every day for the rest of his life.

Like a paintbrush, the light seeped through the covering of the windowpane, allowing a streak of its tangerine and champagne colors to splash across her cheek as her long eyelashes twitched against the surface of her flesh, trying to continue the experience of her dream before her body wanted to wake up to the world that she had no control over, a place where it was much harder to take flight and leave behind the worries and disappointments, where there were limits and things that had to be paid for.

A place where she was alive and where she could spend that time of wakefulness with him lying beside her.

He watched each movement her face made, the way her nose scrunched up whenever she felt the unwelcomed light radiating upon her, the way she parted her lips to sigh before turning her head and inching closer to him, burying herself into his torso as she demanded his warmth.

And he couldn't help the smile that started to form against his lips as he watched her before leaning down to plant them on the top of her mess of a bedhead that her bister locks made each morning when she slept especially well.

The touch had made her shift almost as if it was capable of waking her, but instead, she merely sighed contently and readjusted herself to a more comfortable position with her forehead pressed up against the slit that bared his chest beneath his robe, allowing a slimmer of one of his four large scars to appear from the side of the seam, the discoloration from his normally pale skin making them even more noticeable.

They were nothing more than a physical reminder of what he wanted to accomplish the most, a phenomenon that didn't have to be so as he hoped that change was inevitable enough to break the overly-relied on system of clanship.

And because he lived through his sacrifice, he was going to make sure that the one thing that he was willing to die for would no longer be a dream he would lie awake thinking about in the dead of night when no one was there to listen.

She stirred once more beneath his embrace, this time releasing an annoyed groan as her body awakened itself.

He looked down at her as she shifted, still closely attached to his chest but now with her head tilted up slightly, her eyes peaking up shyly as if she too remembered the event from several days before.

"Good morning, genius." She greeted quietly, watching the softness that reflected in the lavender irises staring back at her with a small welcoming smile to match.

"Good morning, Tenten."

It was the very nature of his voice and the way he sounded that made Tenten reluctantly make some distance between them, not enough to be separated but enough to be considered inseparable, scooting upward slightly to make their faces more leveled as she slid her right palm from the silken threads intertwining in his robe to his collar bone, up his neck and jaw, until they reached his cheek, where her touch only become softer as she stroked away the imaginary strands of long ember hair that fell past his shoulders.

It was now his turn to close that distance.

Allowing his own hand to travel up from his side, he placed his palm on the back of her hand that rested against his cheek, stroking the delicacy of warmth with the edge of his thumb, leaning forward until the center of his celadon cursed mark tattooed on his forehead touched her clear and unbothered skin, the devotion spreading by just that tender touch.

Upon contact, she allowed her eyes to close once more, relishing in the fact that he was there, he was real, and that he was very much alive.

He was breathing, his eyes were not consumed by the same blackening dullness as they were when it happened, and he was healthy, the same as he was before.

Except for this time, he was different.

He had changed.

She had noticed these changes occur over the last two or three years, around when they were nineteen and all of their friends around them were trapped in their worlds of love. It was just the two of them, unsure of how to handle these overwhelming emotions being thrown at them so rapidly, the demand for advice that was being forced at the two of them until one evening, he couldn't keep it in anymore. It was as if seeing the face of death but being kissed by life made him realize what he was hiding deep within him, in a place no one dared to look and where he wanted to forget existed.

That was the same evening he had told her he loved her.

The same evening, she experienced her first kiss.

The relief, the fears, the disappointments- none of those mattered when she was able to give him strength and watch his back when all things seemed nearly impossible to comply with.

But while she lay beside his body, basking in his warmth and the little amount the shining ray provided through the window, they both knew they couldn't stay like this forever.

After all, today was the day.

"We should start getting ready," Neji mumbled, the first to speak after such a long moment of peace that had passed between them.

She only sighed and he felt her breath tingle against his lips as he smiled at her response.

It always took her a few more minutes to be willing to remove herself from the comfort of her bed and him for that matter and yet, he never found the reason to blame her for this reluctance.

Allowing herself to once again make an invariable distance between them, she took the opportunity to look into his eyes, her eyebrows slanting upward as the space between them wrinkled and he instantly knew how she felt.

"It's today isn't it?" she muttered faintly, still resting her palm against his cheek as she spoke. "The meeting with Hiashi?"

The smile faded and he narrowed his gaze, afraid to see the anxiety creeping up in her curious stare as he answered with a nod before speaking.

"Are you ready?"

She turned her attention away from him, looking so far down that from his angle her eyes appeared closed as an uneasy silence passed by.

"No. I like to know what I am getting myself into," she eventually retorted, followed by an exasperated huff. "He could've at least told us what this meeting what going to be about rather than just hiding it like he always does."

She appeared like she was going to add on to her short rant but when nothing came, he decided to keep the conversation going, at least to appeal to her impending concerns.

"I know. It's frustrating, however, there are reasons for him doing this that I didn't come to understand until I was older."

To both of them, it sounded like he was defending his uncle, an event that Neji did not want to be known by in private. In the past, there wouldn't be a reason to disagree out loud with Hiashi's arguments and opinions simply because he was the leader. Of course, every decision made in the clan had to not only pass through him but the elders as well, a group of clan members who were the worst of the bunch, especially when it came to having a conversation with them that went slightly against the traditions. When he had asked for permission to marry based upon his choosing, he almost lost every ounce of patience, digging his nails into the skin of his palms until they had punctured through and blood began to cake his fingertips.

He wasn't sure how he managed to survive such an ordeal and to not lose his mind at the bitterness of their words towards Tenten, someone he had realized he had loved for such a long time and yet had not realized it until after he saw her not just as a teammate, but as a woman and friend.

Even now, whatever meetings Hiashi arranged, it was kept a secret, leaving Neji on edge for days until the day of when he knew there was nothing that could prevent the event from happening.

The worst was not the meeting itself but rather the time leading up to the unexpected conversation in which Neji had no right in disagreeing with and was instead forced to attend no matter what.

Personal dilemmas were never allowed to interfere.

Whilst in the process of marrying Tenten, Neji had been occupied in other clan matters, with the primary one being the separation between the family members on opposing sides that had, in an agreeable sense, been deemed more like a slavery endeavor than one that consisted of members sharing the same bloodline. The noticeable tattoo upon their foreheads symbolized not only their side branch membership but also their sealed fate in sacrificing their lives for the sake of those who were born in the best of circumstances, those much like Hiashi Hyuga and his two daughters, Hinata Hyuga and her younger sister Hanabi Hyuga.

With the war being over and Neji's survival seen as a miracle despite his sacrifice to save his cousin and her devoted love to the hero of the village, there were things that Neji saw as necessary to change, especially in the slave system of the clan. There would be no more pain, no more unwilful sacrifices to be made to those who do not deserve to be saved, and no more fears in having children within the clan as many (including Neji) feared in seeing their child sobbing on the ground uncontrollably in front of the feet of the man who had seeped a marking into their skin, their nervous system, and into their overall being, giving them the only purpose of being those who would die with no questions and with no concern given.

It was time for that to be destroyed.

And yet, it was harder to kill an enemy that was a tradition in itself.

Neji knew that both he and his placement would not avenge his father's death nor the branch members' unwholly status as pawns to those who were born "lucky". He needed help from someone who has lived and understood the clan for their entire lifetime, someone who was open to new possibilities that would instill happiness and comfort among those living on both sides of the family, someone like Hinata who he had nearly killed himself for when suffering was all that was left and questions were left unanswered.

And she had agreed without hesitation.

Needless to say, Hinata had married the man that Neji had also helped to protect, instigating him to keep his word and change the clan for the sake of the children who were to be brought into the world not knowing of their forced purpose and the likelihood that they would die before they reached the middle of their lives. Though this man was someone Neji often found hard to take seriously, he was also someone that had changed him and had given him a reason to go about his way of thinking in the hopes of one day achieving what he thought was impossible because of the mark on his forehead.

He was Naruto Uzumaki, the savior of the village Hidden in the Leaves.

And he always kept his promises.

With the reliance now instilled upon two more figures, Neji had more of a chance. Since Naruto being on the path of becoming the leader of the village, the doubts had become less and less than what they were when Neji was alone. Indeed, he was sure that even with just Hinata's help, it wouldn't have been enough simply because Naruto could change people, no matter their background or what they went through.

It was because he knew what hatred felt like and was able to overcome it, a stigma that many do not comply with and instead seek vengeance to quench their thirst for despair.

With him on board, there was no going back and no wishing for things to be different.

It was Neji's new destiny to fight for the future of the clan and for the children he and Tenten would eventually give life to.

And now that he was alive, there was no reason he should stop searching for the way out of the darkness.

There was just another issue he had to handle first.

The meeting.

She hadn't said a word since his surprising statement and it was beginning to worry him.

Removing his palm from the back of her hand that laid against his cheek, he lowered it down so that he would take her chin above his fingertips, lifting her head back up only to be met with a concerned and doubtful expression in her narrowed eyes.

He removed his reach from underneath her chin, sliding it along the edge of her jaw until his grasp was behind her neck which he utilized in pulling her slightly forward towards him, leaning himself down so that he could feel his lips on hers when he kissed her tenderly.

Her heart sped up in the early shadows of the morning, a fluttering she was not used to that made her face turn pink despite being in the practice of for several days now.

She allowed her own hands to find their touch, with the one resting on his cheek now finding its way into his long hair and meeting up with the other one that had slid beneath his slightly raised head as she found herself migrating closer against him, using her chest against his own so that he may feel the throbbing rhythm of her heart continually shoving against her breast.

He received her forwardness and broke the connection only for a moment before rejoining her lips onto his own, taking his touches down to her waist and to the mid-section of her back, pulling her towards him even more until they both unconsciously felt themselves switch positions, with her on top of him as both of his hands could now find their way to her back and stroke her sensationally, without crossing the boundaries he was unsure she would allow (then again, they had only been married for a few days and only time would tell when all boundaries could be crossed).

They stayed like that, each in the company of one another's physical passion until their minds finally cleared and the remembrance of the dreaded meeting once again came back, breaking their circuit and leaving them slightly out of the breath with Neji managing to recover much quicker than his wife.

Their noses touched lightly and he smiled while she chuckled warmly against his breath, leaning forward to give him one last quick kiss before they had to get up, first untangling themselves from each other and sitting up separately before Neji rose from their futon sprawled out among the solidness of their bedroom floor, taking her hand into his own and helping her stand up beside him.

With the blankets and sheet no longer wrapped tightly around her, Neji saw almost instantly how disarranged her hair was as the tangles strewn and stuck to her citrus yellow shirt that was embroidered in an oriental style lace of an ashy pink. Her shorts were also of a matching set and it never seemed to surprise Neji with how short they were, even if they were used for sleeping. He was accustomed to covering up all things that his clan deemed as "provocative" and in this case, Tenten was crossing the lines by several yards. Even when the nights were especially bitter, she seemed perfectly fine in wearing such attire to bed.

She claimed it was because she got overheated easily; her feet in the middle of the night said differently as they often found their way to Neji's exposed skin on his leg and made his body temperature drop until he was sure he was touching pure ice.

He, on the other hand, wore what he always wore to bed. Just a silken robe that had slightly thin material and revealed some of his chest that was a landing spot for Tenten's cheek and, dare he say, "drool".

Now as they stood, with their hands still entangled in each other's like a spider's web, Neji saw the life that he had wanted, a life that was deemed as meaningless when he had just graduated from the academy and knew nothing about love because his heart was filled with nothing but a void, a shadow belonging to nobody and nothing that trudged behind him.

With his other hand free from her grasp, he took it to try and stroke his long fingers through her thick strands, finding it nearly impossible to do with the number of tangles and knots.

That was how he knew that she had forgotten to comb out her hair after undoing her unique hairstyle of two braided buns that wrapped around and met into a single braid that fell just short of her active attire's collar.

The number of things she could do with her growing hair was enough to fascinate him as he watched her do such a tightly-bound hairstyle on days when they were heading out or training. However, on days when they did nothing but hang around the compound belonging to the clan, she eased her technique a bit more, sometimes braiding it or just placing it in a single messy bun.

Except today would be different.

Because she would wear it in the same style she wore for battling and playing dirty as she sat in front of Hiashi Hyuga and the rest of the Hyuga clan elders.

And Neji could not have been prouder of her for being who she was despite the stares of those who disapproved of her existence as a clan member.

"Ow!" she jokingly yelped as he caught on to one of those tangles, pulling on her scalp whilst he was deep in thought.

"Ah, I apologize," he said sincerely, removing his hand from her hair and placing it back down to his side. "You really do need to brush-,"

She released his hand before placing it on her hip in a crook, looking at him with a fake glare that only he knew to be unreal as a means of her messing with him.

"Well duh, genius, we just woke up! Of course, I'll brush my hair. I wouldn't want to look more like a peasant than I already do in front of Lord Hiashi."

Her tone had shifted upon the spatting of his uncle's name and though it was a small observation on his part, he couldn't help but let it bother him.

As she had made her way away from him, walking towards the bathing quarters that was connected to the far left side of their room, her feet lightly padding and sticking to the hardness of the polished wooden beams that separated the flooring from that of their sleeping area, he watched her carefully, unsure of what she was truly implying when she made that statement.

When she had disappeared into the doorway, he found it necessary to trail after her, retracing those same steps she took with the small soles of her feet.

By the time he made his way into the doorway, she was already standing in front of the large mirror framed by discarded bamboo shards connected to form a very lovely border that matched well with the darkened wood that made up the cabinets and countertops, a brush in her hand as the bristles began to run through her hair.

He saw her expression grimace as she yanked out the knots and throbbing tangles that had latched onto her usually soft and textured locks, using all her might to tug out the imperfections.

"Tenten," he continued as he neared closer to her so that he could see the side of his profile from the corner of his eye in the mirror's reflection. "I've told you already, Lord Hiashi does not see you as a peasant."

"Then what does he see me as? A common shinobi with no background to go off of with a lack of skill in being perfect?"

Her words were bitter on the tip of her tongue and yet she continued to speak as if none of it bothered her, almost as if she was having a perfectly neutral conversation with her husband over her insecurities towards the way the clan saw her.

It was hard to convince his wife once she believed in something.

He could only sigh.

"The clan has always gone off of marrying those with the same blood. As much as I hate to say it, you are one of the very few outsiders that had been permitted into this family. They are just not used to change."

The brushing stopped.

He wished he chose his words a little more carefully.

She turned off to the side, cradling the long strands of amber as she removed the brush only to continue her task, no longer facing her husband.

Even so, he could see her saddened reflection in the mirror, looking away and not wanting to say anything because he knew just as well as she did that the clan had not been entirely pleased with his choice.

This was just one of the few times that he found himself graciously thanking his uncle for permitting the marriage when no one else would.

He waited for her response.

None came.

He saw her chin begin to tremble as she attempted to hide her face even more from him, allowing the hair on the opposite shoulder to fall past her face so that he would not see the tears that were threatening to fall.

She never cried.

In his entire lifetime of knowing her, of feeling her presence, he saw her tears fall only once when they were still in the early stages of their adolescence, and that was the only memory he had of her crying.

Whenever she was on the verge of tears, it seemed like she forced herself to swallow the sadness and move on as quickly as the feelings came, until the memory was just a numbing dream that lied in the distance behind her, slowly sinking into the blankness like the setting sun. It was not because of pride nor was it because she was afraid of crying in front of others. It was, at least to Neji, that she was afraid of crying and never stopping. Allowing the tears to fall except they continued to fall as her mind fell to pieces and her heart snapped shut so that she could not search in its chest for any comfort. Her mind would begin to wonder, and more things would add up, making her sob almost uncontrollably.

Just like he had seen her cry for the first time, witnessing her suppressing her emotions made him feel a pain that was not comparable to the kind he felt in the war.

It was a pain that would not kill but would make one wish it did.

He quickly came towards her, not caring how his touch made her jump as he placed his arms around her slender frame and pulled her back into his torso, resting his forearms near her diaphragm as he let himself silently inhale her sweet fragrance radiating from her now tidied hair.

It was his fault for making her feel this way.

"As much as I hate to sound like I am taking sides, I will tell you this. When someone suddenly appears in your life, you do not automatically welcome them in. It takes time. The same can be said about the clan. They are not used to someone who has no Hyuga lineage baring the name, a characteristic that makes you special."

He tried to make his words clear and precise, attempting to avoid skewing the truth in the desire to bring her only comfort and understanding. This was not the first time she said things like that, and he knew that this would not be the last time she did either.

She eased into his hold, freeing the brush from its duties by placing it soundlessly on the countertop. Slowly, she let her hands place themselves upon his arms, telling him that he had said and done the right thing. Once again, the genius of the Hidden Leaf Village had to only use his soothing words and warming embrace to cease those thoughts from continuing any further, a trait he somehow naturally gained upon their years of dating and especially in marriage.

She leaned her head back, her eyes shut as she sighed contently into the openness of the air no longer bound by the heavy overshadow of the clouds that threatened to spill over.

"Thank you, Neji," she whispered, turning her head slightly to tilt her attention up towards him as much as she could, her eyes no longer expressing the sadness she once had as she opened them again, narrowing them lovingly as she saw the gentle intentions in his own in his gaze.

"I love you."

She nearly laughed when she saw the effect her words had on him, his cheeks brightening slightly with a compassionate shade of red.

He was still such a wreck when it came to hearing those words, especially when they were only to be directed at him.

His focus darted away to avoid becoming more bashful than he already was until he gave a small smile, turning back towards her to kiss her temple as a response.

It was even harder for him to say it but she always seemed to know what words he was trying to relase when his voice was mute and he had nothing but physical expressions to declare how he felt. She couldn't blame him; the last time he said that he loved her was the evening of his confession and despite him bowing and nearly yelling it out due to the personal pressure being forced upon him, she knew that he would say it without words, no matter if they were together or apart.

"Come on," he said, his voice slightly strained from embarrassment as he still held on to her from behind.

"Let's get ready for the meeting."

…

Though they spoke of nothing, both of them knew what the other was thinking.

There was something off about the meeting they were practically forced to attend, an urging feeling that tugged at Tenten and especially Neji's chest, almost as if a chain was connected to their hearts and attempting to yank them back into their haven with each impending tug that was taken against their steps. After they both had stepped out the door, peering down the hallway to only see nothing but emptiness, was when the feelings became more than just bothersome emotions.

They were becoming burdens.

Without haste, Tenten had quickly tied her hair up into the elaborately braided bunds and dressed herself in gear that was suitable for training purposes and yet was comfortable enough to ease into. The light pale texture of her chopped dress was elaborated further with flames of a pasty pink with a wide holster fastened around her waist to support the two scrolls strapped in from behind. Once Neji had finished dressing himself in the typical shinobi-issued uniform consisting of a jaded vest with the usual attire of neutral clothing underneath, he helped her secure her scrolls against her back, adjusting them so that in the case of rapid movement, none would slip out.

"Alright, I have secured them the best that I can." He issued after he had finished his task, looking at his work before stepping back.

She turned around, mischievous dancing in her eyes as she cheekily smiled at him.

"Thank goodness I have such a caring husband! Now I won't have to risk any more embarrassing mishaps!"

"Yes, well, I am also relieved that I have such a clumsy wife that will always keep me on my toes to prevent her from not just embarrassing her but me as well."

"Hey now, I am not that clumsy!" She laughed, reaching out to deliver a friendly punch in his chest but instead tripping as she took the step necessary to reach him, landing in his arms as he caught her by her forearms, using his palms to support her elbows.

"You might want to rethink that last statement," he offered half-jokingly as he steadied her back up, releasing his grip on her arms to allow one of them to lay at his side as the other reached out to take her petite hand, feeling a rush of relaxation as he felt her fingers intertwine with his immediately.

"Yeah, maybe you're right this time, genius." she complimented sincerely as they both begin to walk towards the door, the connection between them giving each an antidote to the anxieties they shared between one another about the mystery and urgency behind this meeting.

With their feet bare in regards to the rules of the compound, Neji was the one who reached out and pulled the sliding door to the side, stepping out with his wife before he turned to slide it shut once more.

The hall was barren and empty, almost as if anyone had yet to reside within the rooms spaced out among each other in many years. It was quiet, a type of silence that only existed when troubles were to arise when one would least expect them and Neji was beginning to become paranoid with apprehension in attending this meeting.

Something had been off from the very beginning when his uncle had personally come to see them at their living quarters just two days prior. Per each meeting, it was never a leader or elder who did the duty of delivering messages and to see Hiashi, the leader of the clan, at their door in the middle of the night made Neji feel a fear he had never felt before. He was thankful that it had been him to answer the door rather than his wife who at the time was changing into her nightwear in the bathroom, as he was sure she would be at a loss for words. He had to admit; he was nearly at that point too.

As hard as Hiashi had tried, Neji detected something new in his voice, an urging, fleeting tone that engaged him in listening. Though few words were shared and expressed, Hiashi gave brief and discouraging details of the meeting before nodding and bidding Neji a rushed good-night before disappearing down the hallway's winter shadows being cast by the darkness from the outside.

By the time Neji had formulated the words to inform Tenten, the unease had already begun to set in. It was becoming more difficult to hide now that they were on their way to this said arrangement and he was detecting a spike in such emotions based on the tightness of Tenten's grip around his hand.

She was shaking.

He held onto her hand, tighter than before as they padded across the faded hall, passing by the locked doors that bared no such light as a sign of their vacancy with no sound being produced other than the breath of the wind from the outside, pressing against the surface of the drywall and causing creaks and aches to radiate eerily onto their path.

Despite there having been some glimpses of an open sky earlier that morning, the darkness was once again hiding the only source of hope and charisma behind its muggy barrier of soulless clouds, making the temperature drop further until it was uncomfortable to venture outside. Only a few days past had it snowed, the fluttering petals of virgin white falling and making piles upon the ground.

That had been the day of their wedding.

Now there was nothing left of such a snowfall, only a dreadful hiss of splinters that stabbed and froze any opening of bare skin that happened to be unshaded from the harshness of winter.

And today it was showing its fury towards mankind.

He felt Tenten start to sway towards him, leaning against his arm as they approached the turn of the hall, her breathing practices becoming apparent to his hearing as she took in deep wisps of air before releasing them just as slow.

They reached the dead end and turned their steps down the revealed road in front of them, noticing the bickering flicker of lit candle wicks radiating from the largest room at the end, closed off by a wide sliding door. There were some voices, but they were not loud enough to understand until Neji and Tenten came closer, time speeding off faster than they could keep up at their pace until Tenten stopped suddenly several yards before the opening, her eyes no longer glimmering in the light as they always did.

Instead, they were narrow and full of fright.

Afraid that they might be heard outside the room, Neji said nothing as he released her reluctant hand from his own to pull her into his chest as he did that morning, holding her against him so that she knew that he was alive, that they were together, and that nothing could separate them, letting her feel the tender beating of his heart that lay beneath the discolored scar on his chest.

Instantly, she returned the gesture, holding him to her as if her life depended on his warmth and comfort, letting his existance flow into her as if he made time stop.

But time does not stop for anybody.

It was time to go.

They stood there in silence, the empty hallway nothing more than a dull background as they held on to each other before slowly pulling apart, letting them hands drift to their sides as they took the steps necessary to reach the door, Neji holding in his breath and ridding his expression of any emotions that could resurface in the presence of the clan members and his uncle before sliding the door to the side, revealing himself and his wife to a room full of Neji's shared blood.

Cushions of periwinkle were stationed along the rim of the conference area, positioned to where each member was across another in the shape of a rectangle aligned against the polished finish of the wooden beams that made up the flooring. In each corner were candles placed on high stands to embroider the light to a much larger distance with several more candles spread among the area.

It was at their arrival that the whispers and murmurs stopped and all the eyes were on them, the same eyes Neji bore in his skull.

Neji was quick to notice his uncle taking place at the farthest side of the room, his arms crossed as he sat on his knees, the flickering light making his disgruntled expression appear older and slightly aged, his eyes, however, reflected the same piercing gaze they had always had.

With the silence now flooding into the room, Hiashi spoke first.

"Neji, Tenten, welcome. Please, have a seat."

He unfolded his arms to direct his hand across the room, his fingertips pointing towards two vacant cushions nearest to the door and facing in front of him from the opposite side.

Neji reached back, sliding the door closed before allowing Tenten to step in front of him first, following her to the cushions saved just for them in this hellish and apprehensive setting.

They sat down, sitting on their knees and the front part of their legs, their hands folded in front of them with Tenten's fingers clutching into her palms as they rested against her thighs.

"Now that you two are present," Hiashi continued, his voice filling the emptiness of the quiet room. "We can now begin the meeting."

With the eyes no longer directed towards them, Neji relaxed slightly, carefully glancing at Tenten to ensure that her anxiety was not baring recognition from Hiashi before turning his attention back towards his uncle.

"As most of us are aware, there has been some discussion occurring between the elders and with Neji, Hinata, and Naruto Uzumaki regarding the fate of the side-branch family."

"Though there has yet to be a settled agreement, the issue remains ambivalent towards tradition and another conflict has arisen because of this."

Hiashi directed his voice to all those in the room, watching each carefully as if they were the topic of discussion before continuing.

"Several days ago, Tenten became a member of the clan by marrying Neji, an event that has not occurred by approval since the origin of the family. Neji, by default, is still a side-branch member due to the placement of his father and my twin brother, Hizashi Hyuga, who has long passed."

At the mentioning of her name, Neji heard Tenten take in a quick breath, trying to keep her gaze neutral upon the man speaking the information they already knew too well.

Neji wanted nothing more than to reach out and take her hand but he knew he couldn't.

Not when they were watching.

Hiashi seemed to look towards Neji more directly after saying such words and it was not something Neji wanted to risk for the sake of himself and Tenten.

"Neji sacrificed himself in the war for the safety of my eldest daughter, an honorable and noble deed that he miraculously survived. And because he survived, the curse-mark that had faded, returned by its own accord, days after Neji awoke in the hospital."

"As a result, Neji still bears the mark of those born into the side-branch and after discussing this with the elders for some time we have agreed that to preserve the nature of the clan until and if traditions are changed, Tenten must too bear the same mark."

Neji's throat tightened.

His heart dropped.

His breath hitched.

The shock held him in silence before shattering his emotionless hue, forcing him to widen his eyes as bottom lip quivered slightly.

"What are you saying, Lord Hiashi?" he spoke aloud, now having the focus on his unsteadiness as he tried to grasp all that was happening.

It felt like the world, his world, was truly ending as Tenten began to shake beside him, her mouth hanging open slightly as her eyes expressed the same feelings of shock and disbelief that he felt.

Except it was anger that flooded into him, unhinged and dwindling on his willingness to no longer sit still and cooperate. He felt his gaze narrow as he glared towards the leader of the clan, his uncle, and his father's brother who he once learned to forgive for the death of the only person in his life that gave him something to look towards.

It was a feeling unimaginable, something he hadn't felt since hatred consumed his heart for the family he was born into without so much as a choice, an emotion that blackened his soul and filled his chest with unforgiving rage.

Hiashi, noting the change in his nephew's demeanor, continued to speak calmly.

"Tenten will be branded." He said without hesitation.

"No, she will not!"

Neji nearly shouted, standing from his place as he leaned towards Hiashi, his glare intensifying as his jaw clenched.

"Tenten has nothing to do with any of this! She was not born into this forsaken clan, therefore she should not have to pay the price like I have had to."

"Neji-," Tenten ushered in a whisper, reaching up in an attempt to calm her husband.

Hiashi was silent as the rest of the members began to look towards one another, some whispering and muttering urgently in hushed tones.

Neji looked down, staring directly into Tenten's frightened gaze as she took hold of his sleeve, her body shaking as she fought back the tears that threatened to spill.

"Neji,"

He snapped his head up to look towards his uncle.

"I know that this upsets you. But until a conclusion has been reached-,"

"A conclusion? The only conclusion that needs to be reached is that my wife will not have to share in the pain she does not deserve to feel! You will not brand her, especially not without her consent."

He spat those words out bitterly, no longer allowing himself to be held back by the respect he was forced to show towards his uncle and to the elders in the main-branch.

None of that mattered.

He didn't care.

He promised he would protect her from them. He promised he would do what he could to make her happy.

He promised.

_He promised._

"Neji, please!" Tenten cried out softly, tugging on his sleeve with more urgency.

He couldn't find it in himself to look at her with the same eyes that bared the flames of hatred.

It was a flame she was not going to get burned by.

He wouldn't let them.

"I will not let you touch her." He growled, his voice deep and threatening as he continued to direct it towards Hiashi. "I forgave you for the murder of my father but if you do this, I will have no forgiveness left for you."

"'Forgiveness'?"

The room changed their focus once again to the elder sitting closest to Hiashi, his eyes becoming whitened with age as he turned towards Neji, taunting him with his own words.

"We do not care for such a thing, Neji," the elder said with a croak in his aging voice. "We care for the sake of the clan. This decision is final, and you do not have a choice in the matter. You are still in the side-branch. You should be grateful we allowed you to marry this classless girl and to share our name with a pauper."

Neji ripped himself from Tenten's grasp, stalking towards the elder with the intensity warped in the veins that surrounded his depthless eyes.

It was enough.

"Neji, you will come no closer!" Hiashi yelled, raising his pointer and middle finger between his eyes, now sharing the same piercing glare his nephew possessed as he approached at a dangerously cautious rate.

"Do not forget you are still a caged-bird!"

But Neji persisted.

His feet hitting the hardness of the floor as he continued to strive forward, right for the elder who dare disrespect the love of his life in such an unforgivable circumstance, his heart engulfed with the hatred he once felt so long ago. His scars burned and ached, as his skin felt the warmth of his anger rising until he finally heard the padding feet coming from behind him grow louder and he felt her arms wrap around him, gripping onto the fabric of his shinobi vest to stop him from continuing on this path of regret and spite.

"Neji stop!" she gasped into his back, pulling him to her with what strength she could offer, tears pouring down her cheeks as she pressed herself into him.

Upon her touch, it stopped, the anger, the resentment, the need for revenge- all of it was gone like the last breath in the wind as the pulsating veins against his temples faded and his eyes rested closed as his head lowered, now fully aware of the damage he had nearly caused in front of other valuable members, including his uncle.

Their stares penetrated into his heart as shame began to wash over him, the whisperings now existing after the gasps and silent shouts that took place only moments ago when Neji had first made his stride towards the elder.

He eased, relaxing his stance as the anger continued to seep through him in silent waves, the frightened and concerned looks of those around him coming back into his view and conscience.

It all felt like a dream, a memory he couldn't come back to nor forget no matter how badly he wanted to.

And the pain that came with realizing suddenly became known as he felt Tenten slip away from him and step beside him before kneeling before his uncle, the tears still stained against her soft cheeks as she bowed toward Hiashi, leaving Neji silent and still, once again in shock at the change in Tenten's demeanor that was once frightened.

She now stared confidently and bravely at his uncle, who had lowered his fingers at her presence, knowing that if Neji had not been stopped, he would've ended up on the floor, unable to flee from an unexplainable pain created by the dreaded mark that was embedded into his nerves.

And then she spoke.

"Lord Hiashi, if this is something that must be done to please you and the elders and to allow me to continue to be with Neji," she announced in a voice that gave no recognition of the fear she once held in her eyes. "Then I agree to receive the curse mark."

There was nothing he could say, nothing to prevent her from going through with this. It was as Hiashi said, he had no choice in the matter because he was still in the side-branch and bore the dread mark of a caged bird no longer allowed to fly free, and instead had his wings clipped by those who had the freedom to make choices.

Neji knew that if he were to speak, nothing would become of his words.

Like his hope in changing the clan, they too would fade away as if their existence was a simple lie.

"Very well," Hiashi responded, calmer than before as relief filled his voice. "The elders and I will meet and decide on an appropriate time for you to get the mark. With that in mind, this meeting is over."

Without haste, members started to file out, one after the other until Hiashi, Neji, and Tenten were all who stood in the room. Hiashi stood, giving a curt bow before Tenten as she now rose before him as he came closer to his nephew, his gaze averted from his uncle's much softer one as he gave Neji a saddened expression.

"I'm sorry, Neji." He whispered as he passed by, his feet echoing until they eventually faded from behind and disappeared beyond the door and into the silent hall.

And Neji, now alone with his wife who had buried herself into his chest with a great force, allowed a single tear to fall.

He had failed her.


	2. Chapter 2

The trek back to their quarters had been long and silent with no words exchanged with each passing step as their bodies stood detached from one another. It was forlorn that tragedy would strike in such a meeting and yet, despite them wanting to deny it, the truth was that there was nothing that could've prevented it, even if it had been done years or decades in advance.

With their heads down, their eyes refused to meet as they forced themselves to move out of that dreaded room where the disaster had consumed the peace only moments ago, knowing well that they were thinking the same thing, the same awful reality of it all. And even though they both felt like they had been cut with shattered glass, their blood bubbling out of the cuts and dripping onto the floor behind them, Neji felt like the shards were still stuck in him, buried nearly into the bone as he felt the numbness of emotional pain and defeat.

The single fall of a tear had been enough to convince Tenten of the pain her husband felt, the trauma of having all that was good in his life being snatched away once again. She knew that she could apply medication to a wound he received from a difficult mission, but this wound would take years to heal and perhaps an entire lifetime in which no medicine could be used to speed up the process.

When they had arrived at their door, it was she who had opened it this time, leaning past Neji to take the handle in her grasp, sliding it open as she entered first.

The door shut behind her and he closed it and the silence was once again trapped between them as they stood in what they thought was their safe space for just them, a place where no one could separate their desire to be with one another.

The meeting had proved them both wrong.

She stood several feet away, her back turned towards him, afraid to look into the eyes that expressed such anger and helplessness in knowing that he wouldn't be able to protect her this time by himself, a concept he had always believed since the day he realized she was the light of his world. He always had a plan, a tactical method in making himself and those around him victorious when things seemed to take a turn for the worst. He was born a leader while also being born a slave, a combination that didn't change the mark on his forehead even in death it seemed.

She had been there on the morning that he had awoken, the long threads of hair she always used to envy chopped off to be used as a conductor to replenish the tissue and cells he had lost after being impaled gruesomely during the war. He had been gone for what felt like an eternity, no longer apart of the world she wanted to share with him, his eyes shut as tubes and wires connected every part of him to machines and monitors in an attempt to keep him alive.

She had seen the wounds as fresh as they were, blotched and rotten with necrosis, withered down to what components he had left to spare in the openings in his chest and abdomen, the muscles splayed with blood and imperfections as he underwent the treatment necessary to save him.

She had also been the first to hold him to her chest that echoed the sobs pouring from her lips and into the open air that was the new hope she had been waiting for.

Now, she had been there to see him at his lowest.

Hesitantly, she turned towards him, raising her head to look at his darkening expression, the dullness in his eyes matching the same texture that he had when he had died weeks before. They were narrowed, the gentle lavender turning into a paleness that made her want to look away once more, to avoid seeing the face she saw as he laid dead, the broken and empty shell that remained on earth until the end of time.

She prevented her lip from trembling as she fought for the courage to call out to him, to bring him back from the place he was currently in, to make him realize that they were both alive, that they loved each other, and that they started a life together despite the disapprovals and stubbornness inflicted within the clan's permission to allow them to marry.

Instead, all she could manage was whispering his name, the quietness in her voice not sounding like the usually positive and radiant one others were used to hearing when they saw her.

He said nothing as a response, but she heard him audibly sigh, frustration filling his voice.

"Forgive me, Tenten," he began, the feeling lacking in his voice. "I lost my temper and in doing so I brought you great shame and humiliation. I don't blame you if you are disappointed in me."

He still refused to look at her, a shadow strewn underneath his narrowing gaze.

The silence passed on eerily, interrupted only by the sounds of distant footsteps and hushed voices outside their door, brushing by as if nothing had ever happened.

She studied him, still unsure over how to respond but she knew that nonetheless, she had to, even if it required her to be blunt with him.

Her body remained rigid as she attempted to take a step forward.

"Neji, I- I'm not upset with you at all. Disappointed yes, however, I was more in a state of shock with what you did. I've never seen you like that before. It scared me."

She whispered the last few words, tilting her head down to look at the space in front of her feet.

She hadn't heard him begin to approach her until she felt the familiarity of his warmth and saw the sight of his own bare feet positioned next to hers.

Her chin lifted and as she found the courage to once again stare into those lost eyes, she was consumed by his embrace, his arms pulling her into his chest as he buried his face within the crook of her neck and shoulder. The feeling of the uniformed-vest, the roughness of the texture, and the smell of him on it made her want to stay there forever, hearing the heart beating against the scar upon his chest as if it hadn't stopped before.

Slowly, she brought her arms up, sliding past the strands of his hair that lied against her shoulders to connect her hands behind his neck, wanting nothing more than to engulf and relinquish herself in his comfort forever.

The existence of such a desire hadn't been known to her until he had first held her like this, almost as if he would lose her if he were to let go.

"I am so sorry, I- it was never my intention to frighten you. All I want was to be able to protect you. I did it in the wrong way."

His words had been gentle and sincere as they filled her ears like blissful music, her eyes resting shut as she melted, the memory of the decision became consumed by fog in her mind. It was something she wanted to forget; a memory she knew she could live without. Though, time would only tell when she would receive the same engraving on her forehead and forever be constantly reminded of what took place and of the day her world and his came crashing down.

"I know you didn't, Neji." She mumbled into his vest; her words muffled in the fabric.

She felt the reluctance of him pulling away, the sweetness of his warmth leaving her body to only last in her wrists that rested against the back of his neck the surfaces of their torsos brushing against each other.

His hands drifted down to hold her waist, the touch feathery and light so that if she wanted to release herself, she could.

She, however, did not want to ever be rid of such an embrace.

Her heels raised as she gained height, pressing down on the back of his neck slightly so that she could reach his lips, kissing them delicately like she had when they first shared in this new experience two years prior. He followed with her movements, her breaking of the affection to catch a breath before going back in for another, making him yearn for more. She guided him at a pace he followed, the breaking, the breathing, and the beginning of something new with just this affection was enough to make the world's conflicts leave them at peace if only just for a little while. After some time, the same was no longer just the same, as Tenten felt her mouth open against his, only to feel him enter with the vigorousness of his tongue sliding against hers.

She could feel her face burning and knew she was blushing a red only her blood would be willing to spare against her cheeks.

Her chest pressed against his own, the thudding rhythm of his heart palpating against her as he caressed her sides, feeling her clothed ribs and the calligraphy of her breasts as he moved his palms against her, wanting more of her in his grasp, a manner he was losing the fight with.

The battle was not his own, however.

Her fingers could no longer contain the want rising in her core as she broke away from the entanglement from behind his neck, letting her hands stroke down his shoulders and towards the visibility of his chest pressed against her own, the fabric and texture of his vest grinding against her nails with each movement.

She nearly jumped when she felt his grip tightened on her backside, just above the flesh that met her thighs as he pressed into her hidden muscle, squeezing them in his grasp. His other hand, remaining on her side, slithered down to meet the other, groping with the same intensity on the opposite side, pushing into her to bring her closer up against him as he claimed her lips again and again.

Until he broke away, pulling his tongue from inside her mouth as a web of thin saliva connected them as they attempted to catch their breaths and take in what they had just done, the experience still clouding their thoughts with desires for lust and utter vulnerability in each other's wake.

Their eyes widened before they quickly retracted their hands from one another, the thread disconnecting from them as their faces bubbled up in crimson, with Tenten suffering most of all.

Neji cleared his throat, turning away to catch his breath as calmly as he could while also attempting to ease the rapid pulse thumping in his throat and chest.

They turned back towards each other prematurely, only to catch one another's embarrassment to their unexplainable behavior reflected in their unsettled features.

"I-I am sorry!" Tenten gasped, glancing off in other directions that didn't consist of his expression. "I don't know what came over me."

"No, I should be the one apologizing," he responded hoarsely, clearing his throat before laying his eyes to rest beneath his lids. "I took things too far. It was inappropriate of me."

An awkward sensation capsized their conversation before Tenten spoke once more, gaining the courage to look towards him, his side facing her as his head kneeled downward, the blush still blotching his normally paler features.

"But, you know," she spoke-up shyly. "We are married now so it's okay to do these things, right?"

By the time he opened his eyes and looked at her, his blush darkened as a response to her change in nature, her palm placed around her arm as it nestled by her chest, the eyes that had once shed tears now gleaming with a light he didn't exactly know the source of.

"Right," he answered a bit more clearly than before.

"It will take time, but it was a good start."

"Y-yeah."

Her timid nature at her actions surprised him, almost as if she was unaware that it was her who had initiated it. Though he didn't mind (not in the least bit), there was something in her that made him believe that it was the end, that her making a sudden move that they had never shared in was her way of saying farewell to the life they had expected and hoped to have, now erased and revised to fit the constraints of the family.

If that was how she felt, then he knew that the pain of knowing what was to come was driving both of them to do things as if they would never do them again.

While they were given no dates, no time correlation for the branding, Neji knew that there was still time, even if it meant only a minute could be spared in which he could utilize to prevent the damnation from occurring. And yet, the thought that aged him considerably in terms of stress was how he would stop things from going wrong.

He would need some help.

After another moment of stillness passed by, Tenten's face still flushed as a result from her embarrassment created by her emotions, Neji narrowed his eyes as he turned to face her, his arms coming up to fold against his chest.

"Tenten," he began. "I don't want to give up, not yet. I think you made me realize how immature and inappropriate I was being, primarily because of the resentment I felt in knowing that the clan would once again make someone who didn't deserve the pain I felt suffer the same fate."

She blinked, listening attentively with her eyebrows raised.

"I know that what the elders and Lord Hiashi said was final, but that doesn't mean we can't attempt to persuade them to at least make exceptions to their decision. But because we do not know the set date, we mustn't waste any more time."

She watched him as he once again turned away from her, nearing towards the door before sitting against the floor, taking his sandals from beside her much smaller pair as he slipped each foot in, zipping and buckling until he was sure they were on efficiently. Taking a stand, he peered over his shoulder at his wife who knew where he was going without him having to utter a single phrase.

She nodded to him before he looked away, reaching out to grab the handle to slide open the door, leaving her with the eeriness of the door sliding shut and to whatever thoughts awaited her.

…...

The knocking at the front door had nearly caused her to miss an entire row of stitches, her needles following her jump at the sudden noise as she looked towards the entryway, closing her pearlescent irises before opening, the veins crunching and forming against the skin surrounding her temples and cheeks.

She saw him, the familiar face appearing slightly more serious with a hint of concern as he waited behind the closed door, standing still almost as if he knew she was using the byakugon without discretion to peer at the visitor outside.

It hadn't been long since she last saw her older cousin of one year, the most recent being only three weeks ago when the two of them had sat down in her home to discuss the affairs of the clan. Though he did visit her frequently, she understood that he wanted time for himself and Tenten to grow as a married couple and while he did not particularly like speaking of their intimacy, she knew that they were doing just fine.

But the concern on his face was making her think otherwise.

The veins disappeared beneath her skin and with her fingertips still latched around the needles, she smoothed the loops of the acrobatic platinum yarn down, ensuring that they wouldn't easily slip from the wooden tips as they often did when she was not paying attention. The webbed and knotted portion, now hanging off the same needle and about the size of a woolen cloth, draped over her hands as she as she shifted the components of her knitting to the side, going over her growing abdomen as her first child lay nestled inside comfortably, still in the process of developing further.

Knowing that it was a challenge to remove herself from the couch with whatever efforts she had to offer, she quickly looked around before remembering where her husband had wandered off to in the house, tilting her head back as her plum strands fell against the back of the sofa, splaying and sticking to the lightness of the textured surface with the static.

"Naruto?" she called, her voice just barely managing to echo back into the kitchen.

"What's wrong? Is it the baby?"

She heard the heaviness of his footsteps as he pounded across the hall, skidding across the floor as he entered the living room as he grabbed onto the doorway to steady himself, hitching forward before standing, the wildness in his cyan eyes staring at her worriedly.

She couldn't help the laugh that escaped from her lips at the sight before her.

"No, no! Big brother Neji is at the door. I was wondering if you could maybe let him inside." She pondered, her voice expressing a gentle kindness only belonging to her.

Naruto sighed before smiling, reaching a bandaged hand up to rummage through his sun-rayed spikes of hair that covered his head before taking leave of the doorway he had utilized to steady himself after his surprising entrance.

"Say no more Hinata! Don't you move a muscle!" he declared, a content smile radiating his scratched cheeks he had since the day of his birth, etching into his skin to give him a very fox-like appearance, much like the once called "monster" that rested deep within him.

She watched as he nearly pranced over towards the entry-way until he was out of her sight, disappearing as he reached the front of the door and she heard it click open upon the release the lock and the familiar creak as the hinges released their hold.

"Neji, it's good to see you!" she heard him greet happily to her cousin before the door was shut firmly again.

"As it is with you, Naruto." A much more serious and mellow tone replied before the sound of shoes being removed and placed neatly to the side came to her ears, the footsteps now pattering across the floor, easing their way into the living area and to where Hinata took her place on the couch, the knitting supplies still nestled beside her as her palms rested against the top of her rounded belly.

Neji was the first to come into view, followed by her husband. Her cousin gave her a softening glance when he saw her sitting up on the couch, almost as if to tell her that there was no need for her to get up to properly greet him as she was accustomed to.

"Lady Hinata," he greeted kindly, allowing Naruto to lead him to the edge of the furniture she was occupying. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been feeling a lot better these last few days," she responded as honest as she could. She knew that he worried about her, but she could only imagine how much he would worry about Tenten when the day comes that she is also with their first child. Naruto was no better off when it came to be a little over-protective and Hinata was positive her usually calm and collected cousin would also suffer the same fate.

Naruto put his hand on Neji's shoulders, easing him towards one of the cream-textured chairs across from Hinata, separated only by the dark spaded coffee table that rested comfortably against the bloodiness of the plain rug beneath it.

"Neji, please, have a seat," Naruto said respectfully before Neji nodded, following in the direction of Naruto's lead before placing himself in the comfort administered by the lightness of the cushions in the chair, easing his back into them until he could go no further, the soles of his feet being brushed by the elegance of the carpet.

Naruto neared away from him, passing by rather carefully to sit beside his wife, resting the same bandaged hand (and arm for that matter) around her shoulders as he rested against her.

They were happy, the two of them together as Neji looked back towards the couple, Naruto and Hinata's welcoming smiles appearing on their faces, each different but unique in expressing the same emotion towards their visitor. He had seen that she was getting closer to her delivery date, her abdomen swollen to a size that could only confirm his theory and his realization that she was having a difficult time in getting up these last several weeks.

But it hurt him to have to tell them what was on his mind.

The guilt had already begun to form before he wished it away and before the words could even be thought of and processed to his liking. The last thing he wanted (besides Tenten receiving the curse mark) was for Hinata to become so stressed that the rest of her pregnancy and labor would be issued as conflicts that could potentially threaten her life.

Neji would once again bear another burden of causing someone else who was important in his life a pain they did not deserve by any means.

The concern began to show on his features, his eyes narrowing as his soft smile faded, the chin that remained so high now tilted down in the internal pain and damage he was already feeling the effects of drearily, making Hinata and Naruto's smiles fade as worry plastered against their expressions.

"Big brother Neji, is there something the matter?"

He couldn't find his pride to look back up at his cousin as he answered.

"Yes," he sighed, closing his eyes for a brief time before opening them once more, forcing himself to lift his head so that he could look into both Naruto and his cousin's saddening eyes as they searched his face for answers with their gaze.

"There was a meeting earlier and this time it was concerning Tenten."

It was impeccable to disagree with the expected quiet response he was given, with the sound of only the panels of the elongated windows held at the front of the living area creaking as the house settled at the presence of the sudden wind, billowing against the foundation with very little light shining through the panes, as was often the case during winter.

It had been a sign, the weather and appearance of the day showing him the dread that was about to befall upon him and Tenten. It had remained throughout, well into the earliness of the mid-morning, bringing about the darkening trepidation that had already been consuming him since he heard his uncle's final words of declaration, the apology given thereafter meaning absolutely nothing to the rage already building up within his chest, consuming his heart like predator and prey. How now did it turn to sadness, he had no answer to. It was a phenomenon that made him aspire to feel strong again, to witness the strength he once had, before all of this changed and before their fate was decided.

He only feared that the pain Tenten would feel, if there was no way of preventing it, would leave his heart numb, his body alive but his soul dead.

He needed to release some of this negativity as he knew what to say next, clutching and clenching his fist beside his lap, not near the couple's view as his fingertips dug into his already bruising palms.

He began slowly, taking in the breath he needed to.

"Tenten is going to be branded with the caged-bird seal."

There was something off about the silence that followed, unlike the one before in which nothing but the home could be heard as it dealt with the environmental components from the outside. The silence that came was like death's breath, making the stages of understanding harder to comply with as Naruto and Hinata could only stare, the widening of their crystalline lavender and blue eyes matching in their shock and disbelief, Hinata's small gasp barely escaping her trembling lips as she held a hand up to cover her mouth.

"What?" Naruto exclaimed, his head shaking as he clenched his jaw. "That doesn't make any sense. We have been working with the elders for months on changing the Hyuga and they never once brought this up."

"Father," Hinata whispered, removing her hand from her mouth to rest against her chest. "Father would never agree to something so repulsive."

"He did," Neji said distastefully, almost with the same bitterness he felt towards Hiashi's apology. "Because he didn't attempt to argue against it, at least, not in front of Tenten or myself."

Naruto opened his mouth as if to respond, but shut it, closing his eyes as his eyebrows slanted downwards in a glare, his free hand that was not resting against his wife now rubbed against his eyelids and forehead, making him appear as an older man with these gestures Neji had never seen him bare before.

"This still doesn't make sense to me." He said frustratingly. "If they wanted to brand her, why didn't they just tell you before you married her?"

"I don't know," Neji responded wearily. "But what I do know is that I will need your help. They told me that I am technically still a side branch member as I still carry the curse mark on my forehead. However, I know that you and Hinata already have your hands full with the baby, and I already regret coming here to add to your stresses-,"

Naruto stood, forcing Neji to follow up to his face, the eyes that been hidden away were now wide and bright, an expression Neji and Hinata have both seen far too many times to count in their years of knowing Naruto Uzumaki.

It had become obvious, especially to Neji, how greatly Naruto had matured, from being a brat who painted and vandalized the mountainside of stone faces who bared the responsibilities of keeping the village safe to a hero everyone knew and wanted to meet. He had sacrificed more than what bad luck bestowed upon most people, especially at the time of his birth when his parents willed themselves to death so that he may find himself in a world that would only see him as a monster and to change that view.

To be recognized.

He gave Neji that same smile, the one he only wore in battle when dying was at a high stake and there was no escape. The same kind he wore when he vowed to Neji to change the way of the Hyuga clan when he fulfilled his dream of recognition and became the Hokage, the leader of the very village that turned its back to his growth, unknowing of the real power and potential he possessed even as a child and now, a young man.

It was then that Naruto approached Neji, rounding beside the coffee table to firmly place his palm on Neji's shoulder, making sure that their eyes were interlocked and that none would back away too quickly before the words that needed to be were said.

"Neji, we have gone too far in trying to change the clan. If Hinata and I didn't do this, then will our efforts make things better? This is an ongoing battle we have to win and we can't back out now."

"That's right."

The voice that was once so shy was now also exuberating in collaboration with her husband, a gentle grin plastered on her lips as she looked upon Neji with fondness.

"Don't worry about the baby or us, Big Brother Neji. We promised that we will fight with you, no matter what. This is no exception."

His words were paralyzed in his throat as Neji heard their responses exhibiting such a strange aura of confidence he had lacked in the meeting and around his wife. It was as if it had suddenly become their life's ambition to save Tenten from the awfulness that fate was about to bestow upon her existence.

"I don't know how I could ever thank the two of you," he said, taking his hand back to his side.

"You don't need to," Hinata said sweetly. "You have already risked your life for Naruto and I, let us repay the debt by helping your wife who is also a dear friend to us as well."

Naruto took a step away from Neji so that he could walk past the table, reaching his hand towards his cousin before she took it and held it against the pull of gravity wavering in the air, looking at him with the same innocence and determination he had seen his entire life. He loved his cousin and he was more than willing to admit that now than several years prior. And now, she was going to be a mother, a new stretch of fate that made Neji content with the way things were progressing for her and the love of her life.

He didn't know if they could win, but there were now only two outcomes.

Save Tenten or suffer alongside her.


End file.
